Savannah: Food Tour, Historic Squares and the Purple Line

Savannah: Food Tour, Historic Squares and the Purple Line

Article excerpt

SAVANNAH, Ga. * Every few years, my cousin Molly Carpenter and I plan a trip together to somewhere we've never been. Our priorities: sightseeing, shopping, good food and wine. This year, Savannah checked all those boxes for us.

Savannah is on Georgia's Atlantic coast, just south of the South Carolina state line. Hilton Head, S.C., is less than an hour away, and Tybee Island, Ga., is a half-hour drive.

Molly and I were focused on Savannah's historic district, though, and we needed to have a conversation about our feet. The district is only 2 square miles, but hours of walking would surely take a toll on our north-of-age-60 legs. Could we get by without renting a car?

As it turned out, a car would have been superfluous. We discovered the free shuttle called "the dot," which makes 12 stops on its purple line around the historic district, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A shuttle stop was just a few blocks from our rented two-bedroom cottage on the eastern edge of the historic district. After hours, an Uber was minutes away. In fact, after spending more than $30 (with tip) on a taxi ride from the airport, we took an Uber back for less than $18.

Our first full day in Savannah, we got our bearings with the Famous & Secret East Side Food Tour, a three-hour walking tour that combined history lessons with stops for a tasty bite at six off-the-beaten-path restaurants. Highlights included pulled pork at Wall's BBQ, blueberry sausage at Smith Brothers Butcher Shop and pimento cheese croissants at Our Daily Bread Cafe.

Unlike some Southern cities ravaged by the Civil War, Savannah retains abundant antebellum charm. Historical sites are numerous, including Fort Jackson, the oldest standing brick fortification in Georgia. Savannah's Green-Meldrim House, a National Historic Landmark, was used by Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman as the Union Army's headquarters in December 1864, when Sherman famously sent President Abraham Lincoln a telegram offering up the city as a Christmas gift.

In the historic district, 22 squares offer monuments to famous locals. It was actually quite pleasant walking through the shady squares every few blocks. We could take a break and sit on a bench by a fountain beneath the live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. …